Electric controlling mechanism for railway appliances.



PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905.

W. J. BELL.

ELECTRIC CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY APPLIANCES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1905.

Z SHEETSSHBET 1.

N0. 807,431. PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905.

W. J. BELL. ELECTRIC CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY APPLIANOES.'

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1905.

2 SHEETS--SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFOE.

WALTER J. BELL, OF LOS AN GELE HALF TO LEON F. MOSS, OF

S, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application filed June 3, 1905. Serial No. 263,639.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER J. BELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Controlling Mechanism for Railway Appliances and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved controlling appliance for use in conjunction with electrofluid-pressure or electromechanical switches, signals, gates, and other railway devices; and the invention has for its object the provision of an appliance of this character simply constructed to be absolutely reliable in operation.

The improved appliance is shown as ap plied to an overhead electric railway-line but such showing is not to be regarded as a limitation. Neither is the invention confined to the specific construction disclosed, as the same may be changed and modified without exceeding the scope of the concluding claims.

The invention in all of its details will be readily comprehended, reference being had to the following description, and to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a controlling appliance embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the contact-supports. Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing a modification. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the contact shown in Fig. 4. Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 are detail views.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 denotes the trolley-wire supported from posts 2 2 by insulated stay-wires 3 3 through a connection presently to be described. The car 4 carries the usual trolley pole and wheel 5 and insulated arch or rib form contacts 6,one being shown arranged to project above the roof and each connected by a wire 7 with a manual circuit-closer in the nature of a pushbutton 8, located to be within easy access of the motorman. A constantly-charged wire 9 leads from the trolley to each of the pushbuttons, and when a button is closed an impulse of current is sent from the wire 1 through the wire 9 and thence through the wire 7 and contact 6. The appliance is rendered automatic by employing in lieu of the push-button 8 and wires 7 and 9 a direct wire connection 10 between the trolley and contactfi. (See Fig. 4.)

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, 11 12 are flexible contact-wires flanking the trolleywire and located in vertical alinement with the contacts 6, with which they engage when in operative position. The duplicate arrangement of contacts is employed in connection with cars running both ways on a single-track line. Obviously on a doubletrack line a single circuit establishing means will be provided for the car and overhead equipments. its ends, respectively, to arms 13 14, fixed to and extending at a right angle from sleeves 15, loosely encircling rods 16, the latter having threaded ends for the attachment of eyes 17, to which are secured the stay-wires 3 3. The sleeves 15 are loosely confined longitudinally between the shanks of the eyes 17. An arm 18, fixed to and extending laterally from each sleeve, has at its extremity a recessed head 19, in which is hinged the reduced upper end of a post 20, screwed or otherwisefastened to the trolley-wire hanger or bracket 21. Stops 2 2 23 on the head 19 and arm 20 limit the movements of the hinged parts. In each wire contact are insulated sections 24, and is a wire leading from each wire contact to the electric actuator of the switch, signal, gate, or other device. The current is grounded at the actuator in the usual manner.

In operation before the trolley-wheel of a car reaches the controlling appliance the trol ley-wire 1, by reason of its weight and the weight of the arts carried thereby, sags to the osition shown in full lines in Fig. 1, which sagging movement pulls down the arms 18 and raises the arms 13, thereby drawing the wire contact taut and elevating it ap proximately to the plane of the trolley-wire. When a car is beneath the appliance, the trolley-wire is raised by the wheel and through the bell-crank connection between the trolley and contact wires the latter is caused to sag into the path of the contact 6 on the car, whereupon current is sent from the trolleywire to the actuator in the manner stated, this being accomplished automatically by the provision of the wire 10 or manually by clos- Each wire contact is joined at ing the circuit at the push-button 8. If a car is equipped with a manual circuit-closer, the closing of the circuit is under the control of the motorman and current may or may not be sent, accordingly as the occasion demands.

In Figs. 4 and 5 is shown in lieu of a flexible wire contact a contact-arm 26, fixed to and extending laterally from a sleeve 27, which may be supported and connected with the trolley-wire in a manner similar to that described with reference to the sleeve 15. The arm has an insulated section 28 and is formed in two hinged-together parts, a stop 29 at the hinge-joint 30 preventing flexing of the arm in a right-hand direction. A spring 31 serves to aline the arm-sections, but permits said sections to flex to the left when engaged by a car traveling in the said direction. In operation the contact-arm assumes the elevated position shown in Fig. 5 until the trolley-wire is raised by the car trolleywheel, whereupon the arm is swung downwardly and its end is brought into the path of a contact 6 on the car and current is sent from the trolley-wire to and through awire 32, connected with the outer section of the arm-contact.

I claim as my invention 1. In a controlling apparatus of the character described, the combination of a trolleywire adapted to be moved by a car trolley- Wheel or the like, a contact on the car, and a contact connected with the trolley-wire to move therewith into and out of engagement with the car-contact.

2. In a controlling apparatus of the char- I acter described, the combination of a trolleywire adapted to be moved by a car trolleywheel or the like, a contact on the car, and a flexible contact connected with the trolleywire to move therewith into and out of engagement with the car-contact.

3. In a controlling apparatus of the character described, the combination of a trolleywire having rise and fall movements, and a contact connected with the trolley-wire to fall and rise with the said movements of said wire.

4. In a controlling ap aratus of the character described, the com ination of a trolleywheel having rise and fall movements, and a contact having bell-crank connection with said wire and adapted to fall and rise with the said movements of the latter.

5. In a controlling apparatus of the character described, the combination of a trolleywire having rise and fall movements, a bellcrank lever having a fixed pivot and having one arm hinge-jointed to said wire, and a flexible contact extending from the other arm of said lever.

6. In a controlling apparatus of the character described, the combination of a trolleywire having rise and fall movements, a rod supported from uprights, a sleeve on the rod, an arm on the sleeve having hinge-joint connection with the trolley-wire, a second arm on said sleeve, and aflexible contact connected with said second arm.

Intestimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER J. BELL.

Witnesses:

W. W. HoMAN, CHARLOTTE DEE 

